Three Times the Charm
by CelticKnot12
Summary: Everyone loves Jack O'Neill; but can there be too much of a good thing? When Jack is attacked off-world by a suspicious creature, he returns to Earth seemingly unaffected...though the same can't be said about the rest of SG-1...
1. Chapter 1

_We love Jack's sense of humor, so we took advantage of it. If our dear colonel is cracking more jokes than usual, it was intentional, and if you feel it's woefully out of character, sincerest apologies._

_This story also contains some hints of Jack/Sam-ness, so all you anti-Jack/Sam-ness people out there, sorry... but come on! They're just meant to be!  
_

_We wrote this story with the intention of making a classic SG-1 adventure. I hope you feel that we managed this, and leave us a review to let us know!_

Major Samantha Carter strode down the hall to the gate room, still tugging the straps on her vest snug. The door leading into the room was already open, and Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Colonel Jack O'Neill stood in front of the shimmering event horizon.

"Glad you could join us, Carter! Take your time, there's no hurry, we have..." He glanced at his watch. "Fifteen minutes and 35... no, 34 seconds before the wormhole shuts down and we have to redial."

"Sorry sir." She paused as she moved to stand next to him. "I was in the middle of an experiment. The plasma cannon we found on P3X-467 was-"

Jack cut her off and glanced at Daniel. "Ooh. A plasma cannon. They didn't have one of those in Star Wars, did they?"

"They did not, O'Neill." Teal'c said in a matter of fact tone with a side glance toward him.

General Hammond's voice came over the speaker. "SG-1, are you ready to depart?"

Jack turned to look at Sam. "Carter?"

With an apologetic smile, she shifted her gaze from Jack to look past the thick glass of the control room. "Ready, sir."

"Then you have a go."

"Alright, gang. Forward, march!" Jack said as he strode up the ramp, humming.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as he followed Jack and Daniel through the gate, Carter hesitating for just a moment before walking in after them.

As they stepped out on the other side, the wormhole evaporated, leaving them alone in a thickly forested area. Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c walked down the steps, weapons held defensively at their sides. A surprising sound came from behind them, causing them to turn back to the stargate.

Jack was turning slowly in a circle, looking for any signs of life around them while singing softly. "Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better..."

The three exchanged looks. "Uh, sir?" Carter stepped forward, attempting to decide whether she should be worried or amused.

"Hmm?" Jack stopped humming and glanced at her.

"Uh..." She looked to Daniel and Teal'c for help.

There was a lengthy pause before Daniel found his tongue. "You were singing _Hey Jude_."

"No I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I-"

"You were indeed singing, O'Neill." Teal'c interjected.

Jack glared at each of them in turn before deciding that they weren't teasing him. "Well if you don't like it, you can take it up with my neighbors. They're the ones who were having a karaoke party until midnight last night."

"And that's the one song that stuck with you?" Sam asked, her lips twitching into an amused smile.

Jack gave a short, humorless laugh. "If only. If you don't like any of the Beatles songs then you'd better wear earplugs around me for the next few days." He waved his hand for emphasis. "This group of old, gray haired, handicap parking grandpas had a sing-a-long marathon..." He shook his head, his hand giving a final wave of dismissal as he trailed off.

He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his own gray hair before replacing the cap snugly. "What?" he innocently asked as the rest of his team gazed at him with raised eyebrows.

Daniel quickly shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing." He cleared his throat and then turned on his heel to walk ahead.

The others turned to follow him, Jack's lips now forming the words to _Let it Be_.

Teal'c carved a path before them, swinging his staff weapon back and forth to shove the dense undergrowth aside.

They had been walking for about 10 minutes when Jack leaned against a tree branch. It bent just enough to free a smaller one, allowing it to snap into Jack's face.

"Ow!" He pushed it away. "Carter, please tell me we're almost there."

"Just a few more klicks, sir."

"So remind me why we came again?"

"The ruins, remember?" Daniel answered.

"I don't know, Daniel, you know, they say the memory is the first thing to go. After the back... knees... hips... Of course, it doesn't help that all I have running through my mind is _Strawberry Fields Forever_."

They stepped over a fallen log to where the trees began to thin. The sound of the soft breeze flowing through the vegetation was replaced by a heavier rustling noise through the leaves, causing Carter to raise her weapon defensively.

They slowed as the sound stopped, the surrounding forest becoming eerily quiet. Teal'c's sharp eyes scanned the area.

Jack pressed the butt of his gun closer to his shoulder. "I hate this part. The ominous rustling of the leaves, followed by the-"

A twig snapped, interrupting him. Teal'c swung his staff weapon to face the direction of the noise, preparing it for fire.

Jack nodded. "Yup, followed by the twig snap." He laid his finger beside the trigger.

Silence reigned for a few moments, the team facing outward, guns ready to sight upon any indication of unwelcome company.

Jack was about to signal them forward once again when something dropped with a thud from the tree in front of him.

"Whoa!" Jack announced the startling presence as the others whirled around, pointing guns at the dark shape on the ground.

The form wiggled slightly then rolled over, a childish face looking up at him. "Hello!"

Jack slowly lowered his gun. "Uh... Hi."

A little boy squirmed to his feet, an impish smile lighting his face. "Where are you from?"

"Well, we-"

"What are your names? Why are you here? You dress very strangely. Are they your weapons? May I see them?"

"Wait a minute! You're going too fast. Let me see... Earth; Jack; to explore; yeah, I guess we do; yes; and no, you may not. Now can I ask some questions?"

"Sure."

Jack exchanged looks with Carter. "Alrighty. First order of business: what's your name?"

The boy smiled up at him and said excitedly, "I'm Zaniel."

Daniel raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, nodding appreciatively. "Nice name."

Jack mirrored Daniel's actions. "Yes, _Zaniel_ does have a rather nice ring, doesn't it, _Daniel_."

Daniel grasped the rims of his glasses and pulled them up further onto his nose. "Yes, well, the similarities in our names stop at the sound. The name _Daniel _is Hebrew, meaning 'God is my judge,' whereas _Zaniel _is Latin, I believe, meaning, uh, 'Angel of Mondays.'"

Jack stared at him blankly for a moment. "Oh really? That's the only similarity? I was just sure your name meant the 'Angel of Tuesdays.'" He said sarcastically before turning to Teal'c. "Or was it 'Angel of Yesterday,' I forget..."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow in response. Zaniel suddenly grasped Carter's hand and attempted to pull her forward. "Come! You must see our village!"

"Hold your horses, Monday Boy, give us a minute to talk about this." Jack held up his hand to slow Zaniel before turning to the others. "What do you think, village or ruins? Daniel, don't hurt yourself, I know it's a tough choice."

"Well, these people have doubtless been here for a long time... the ruins are probably our best choice for now, anything could happen at any time to destroy our chances of finding something useful." Daniel reasoned. "It won't hurt the people to wait a few more hours, but these ruins..."

"I agree with Daniel, sir." Carter interjected. "Besides, who knows what we might find in the ruins?"

"Uh... A bunch of rocks?" Jack said cynically. "I vote for the village myself. People are always so much more interesting than crumbling buildings. What about you, Teal'c?"

"I do not think that either decision is monumental enough to warrant an argument or vote."

"Rats. Oh, well, this is the military, not a democracy! Zaniel-"

"Not in the military!" Daniel raised his hand before Jack could continue.

"Fine. Carter, you and Daniel go to the ruins. Teal'c and I-"

"You mustn't go to the ruins!" Zaniel chirped suddenly.

Jack turned to the boy slowly. "May I ask why?"

"They're cursed!"

"Zaniel, I know this may be hard to believe, but there is no such thing as a curse. There's a perfectly logical explanation for anything that happens there." Carter said rationally.

"But a monster lives there!"

"Monster?" Jack questioned. "Boogeyman or the Godzilla kind?"

Daniel watched the boy's frightened eyes with concern. "Yeah, uh, Jack, I don't think he's joking around."

Zaniel's gaze flickered to each member of SG-1. "Bad things happen there."

"Okay, listen, kid...hey, wait!" Jack shouted as Zaniel abruptly dashed off into the trees and disappeared through the dense shrubbery of the forest.

The colonel turned back to the others, his mouth still open from calling as he raised his palms upward in question. "Well, how do ya' like that? We just lost Monday." He let his arms fall limp.

"And our way to the village, it seems." Teal'c noted.

Jack sighed. "Well, it would appear we're back to... exploring ruins."

"Uh, sir? What about the 'monster'?" Carter held up her fingers to put quotes around the word.

"I wouldn't worry. At his age, a monster probably ranges as anything from a rolly polly to a man-eating piranha."

They strode off in the direction that the UAV had shown that the ruins lay, Teal'c once again taking the lead. Shortly, they reached the tall, once almost sky-scraper height buildings.

"Wow..." Daniel looked around excitedly. "Well, it's definitely not Goa'uld... And it doesn't look Ancient."

"What are you saying? That this wasn't built by the known powers in our Galaxy?" Carter asked.

"At least not by the _known_, known powers of our Galaxy."

"The, uh, known, known?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"I believe that Daniel Jackson means it is possible that this was built by the Furlings." Teal'c said calmly.

"But it doesn't look like it was built by Ewoks." O'Neill protested.

"Jack, there has been no indication whatsoever that the Furlings were short, fuzzy, and cute!" Daniel argued.

"Have you even heard their name? Names are supposed to be descriptive. No one calls the My Little Ponies...My great...Donkey...See the difference?"

There was a long pause. Daniel and Carter both eased their way past the colonel without a word, leaving him to watch their retreating backs. He turned to Teal'c. "Right?"

The Jaffa gave him a side-glance. "Indeed." He strode after Carter and Daniel.

"Yeah..." Jack grimaced slightly before shaking his head as if erasing the conversation from his mind.

He walked past the crumbling doorway and into the vast room. Sunlight filtered in through the gaping holes in the ceiling, illuminating the hard, stone walls.

Carter and Teal'c ventured down one of the connecting hallways while Daniel stood three inches away from the wall, squinting at some writing while he used his shirt to wipe the lens of his glasses clean.

Jack strode up next to him, staring at the wall of gibberish that Daniel seemed perfectly capable of reading. "How long will it take to translate?"

Daniel brushed his fingers lightly across the dust coated wall. "Um... It could take a while, there's quite a bit of writing. And it's odd..."

"What?"

"Well, I'm sure it's decipherable, but this wall has a very strange mix of Latin and Goa'uld."

"Interesting." Jack nodded sagely. "... I don't get it."

"Um, well, in other cases of human removal from Earth, the Goa'uld simply assimilated the humans into their culture, completely throwing whatever former cultural dispositions they would have had out the window."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning, this is highly irregular. If the Goa'uld took the Latin people from Earth, they would have forced their language and culture on them. The Latin part of their culture, while still present, would just be, uh, disregarded, not embraced by the Goa'uld."

"But you said this place wasn't built by the Goa'uld."

"Oh, it wasn't, which is part of why this is so bizarre."

"So... There's a part Latin, part Goa'uld culture roaming the universe?"

"I'm not sure." Daniel ran a finger lightly along the lines of script. "It says here that the creators of these ruins rescued a people from the Goa'uld and allowed them to advance themselves with little or no influence."

"Nice of them."

"Yeah... The thing is, it's written exactly how I said it. The person who wrote this didn't create this place."

"Does it say who the person who wrote it was?"

"Uh…" Daniel drew out a long breath as he quickly scanned the text. "No…uh, no, not here anyway. But it might be mentioned on that wall." He pointed to the opposite side of the room. "Or…that wall…" He moved his finger in the direction of the next stone. "Or…"

Jack nodded. "I get the picture."

"Not to mention how many other rooms with writing that Sam and Teal'c could find."

"Got it." Jack sighed, clapping Daniel on the shoulder. "Well, let me know if any of that starts to make sense."

Jack turned and followed an unexplored hall, using the flashlight mounted on top of his P-90 to better see down the dim tunnel. After a sharp, right handed turn, he came to a second room, smaller than the first, but a hole high in the wall made it well lit.

A small, dusty wooden table was set up against one of the walls. He went over to more closely inspect the various pieces of broken pottery and random trinkets laid out on the surface.

He poked one of the large pieces of shattered pottery with the tip of his gun, when a series of eerie, high-pitched squeaks sounded behind him.

He jerked around, his weapon ready to fire at anything worth shooting at. But the room seemed empty.

"Sir?"

Jack quickly looked over to see Sam standing in the doorway. "Carter." He acknowledged, his eyes returning to sweep the corners of the room.

She glanced around. "Anything wrong?"

He stopped searching and gazed at her for a moment before furrowing his brow and throwing a quick glance over his shoulder. "No, nothing's…nothing wrong. Just a few rats."

The squeaking continued and Jack grimaced, nudging some rocks on the floor with the toe of his boot.

The next few seconds happened in a blur, seeming both brief and unending at the same time.

A long, snakelike creature leaped from the rubble, its eyes flashing with a golden hue and connecting with Jack's. Time seemed to suspend itself for a moment as the contact seemed to become almost physical. Then the creature broke away, time returning to normal as it returned to the floor and Jack dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Colonel!" Sam shouted as she sprayed the area where the creature had landed with her gun. The squeaking stopped and she dropped to her knees next to her commanding officer, fingers immediately moving to his neck to check for a pulse.

"What's going on?" Daniel ran into the room, followed closely by Teal'c.

"Something that looked sort of like a Goa'uld jumped up and did... something to him." Sam focused on Jack for a few more seconds. "Pulse is fine. Respiration returning to normal. We should probably get him back to the 'gate to be safe, though."

Teal'c moved toward the bullet holes on the floor and cautiously shifted the rubble with his staff. Daniel knelt down beside Carter as Jack slowly began to come to.

"Sir?" Carter spoke as his eyes worked their way open, squinting in the sunlight.

He jerked his head around, trying to get his bearings as he abruptly attempted to sit up. With a groan, he sank back down and clapped his hands over his face.

"Jack, are you alright?" Daniel asked with concern.

The colonel's hands scraped down his face as he shook his head, trying to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine." He shifted more slowly now as he sat up. "What was that thing?"

"Whatever attacked you has now gone." Teal'c said as he uncovered a small, mouse-sized hole in the ground where the creature had disappeared.

"It looked like almost like a Goa'uld, but there's no way one could survive without a host for long without any other ways to sustain it." Carter said.

"A close relative, perhaps?" Jack suggested as he adjusted his cap.

Carter shrugged as she stared at the hole in the ground. "It's possible, I suppose."

"Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and it will come to attack again while we're here." Jack grasped Teal'c's offered hand and pulled himself up off the floor, rubbing his back where it had hit the stone.

"Well, uh, we might need to find out." Daniel glanced at the others around him. "I mean, we don't know what it did to Jack. Capturing it might be the best way to discover what it did."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Capture it? Daniel, are you sure you're feeling okay?"

Teal'c inclined his head slightly. "I must agree with Daniel Jackson. We should indeed capture this creature and return with it to Stargate Command."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, we don't even know if there's anything wrong with me!" Jack waved his hand in the air for emphasis.

"Maybe we should get the Colonel back to the SGC, then come back and talk to the villagers. They might know something about this 'monster.'" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, that thing is definitely monstrous." Jack rubbed the back of his head.

"Are you alright, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"I'm fine." He took a step forward and grimaced. "Ow. Got a bit of a headache, too."

"I'll go grab my things." Daniel muttered as he started to slip out of the room.

"Oh, Daniel," Carter reached into one of the larger pockets on her vest. "I found this in another room."

Daniel reached out, pulling a small book from her fingers. "It's a book." He flipped it open, furrowing his brow. "It's in Goa'uld."

Carter noticed his expression. "Can't you translate it?"

He glanced up at her. "Uh, sure, it's just," He looked back at the pages again. "Well, most Goa'uld don't use books. They use crystals to store their information. This must be old. I mean, really, really old..." He muttered as he walked out of the room, his eyes never leaving the open pages.

"So," The colonel turned to Carter and Teal'c. "Do we need to continue the search for anymore old gobble-dee-gook books and evil worms or can we go home?"

Carter's forehead wrinkled slightly as she watched Colonel O'Neill stumble a small step forward. "Sir, are you-"

He held up a finger, cutting her off. "You know, I just thought I'd mention that the next person who asks me if I'm fine with have a bruise about the size of my fist...now, what were you saying, Carter?"

She sighed inwardly as she gave him a half smile. "I seem to have forgotten, sir."

His lips twitched in amusement as he turned and led the way out to the large room where Daniel was packing away his notebooks and camera. He pulled the strap of the pack over his shoulder and walked beside Jack as they crossed the room, heading for the exit.

Daniel glanced over as the colonel rubbed his forehead and, before Sam could warn him not to, said, "Are you alright?"

Without missing a beat, Jack moved his hand from his forehead to sharply smack Daniel's arm.

"Ow!" The archeologist stopped in surprise and rubbed his shoulder.

The colonel paused when he noticed Daniel was no longer beside him and looked back, raising his eyebrows. "…Bug." He turned and continued striding forward.

"Ah." Daniel jerked his head up in comprehension to Jack's simple explanation before his brow furrowed in skepticism as he still held his bruised shoulder.

"Let's go!" Jack shouted impatiently as he reached the doorway leading outside, waving for them to hurry up. Carter patted Daniel's back with a smile as she passed him and jogged the last few feet.

As Teal'c walked past him, Daniel shook his head, breathing one last "ow" before following.

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, I can't find anything wrong with you. Aside from some bruising on your ribs and skull, which we can credit to your fall, you seem perfectly fine." Dr. Frasier slid her pen light into her lab coat pocket.

"Everything is relative." Daniel murmured as Jack turned to glare at him.

"Alright, Daniel, you're up next." Frasier motioned to the almost cot-like examining table. Her fingers probed his neck gently before she pulled a needle off of a nearby tray and drew his blood.

Motioning to the nurse, she instructed, "Take this to the lab," before continuing her examination. "How are you feeling? Any aches or pains I should know about?"

"Nope, I feel fine." Daniel stretched a wide smile across his face.

Janet looked at him for a minute longer before nodding. "Okay. Just stick around until your blood work comes in and then you're cleared for your debriefing."

Across the room, Carter rubbed the crook of her arm where the assisting nurse had pricked her and then hopped off the table. She followed the team down the hall, separating to veer into the woman's locker room while the others went to the men's.

She took off the vest that covered her plain black shirt and pulled out a wire hanger to place it on. When she placed the hanger back on the rack, however, the vest slipped off and hit the floor. "D'oh!" she muttered as she bent down to pick it up.

She hesitated on her way back up before shaking her head. Blaming the slip of the tongue on spending too much time with Colonel O'Neill, she replaced the vest securely and finished removing her off-world gear.

She walked out of the room just as Jack came into the hall. He smiled at her. "So, as we wait for our blood samples to tell us whether or not we have life-threatening, infectious bacteria… shall we have lunch? I hear they have Jell-O."

Carter laughed. "I would love to, sir, but we should probably wait here until Dr. Frasier clears us."

Jack sighed. "Of course it would be up to my second-in-command to be my conscience."

Sam couldn't decide whether it was compliment or an insult. "Maybe we can get one of the nurses to snag us something."

"That sounds good, because I am _famished_." Daniel announced as he and Teal'c walked down the hall toward them.

Carter stopped one of the nurses passing by to ask for a few bowls of blue Jell-O. The woman's grin and understanding nod said everything the others needed to know before Sam even began to walk back.

"You know what sounds really good?" Jack asked, tilting his head back against the wall. "Besides Jell-O, I mean."

"Cake." Daniel and Sam harmonized. Jack blinked and the trio looked at each other in shock.

"Okay… That was weird." Jack's forehead furrowed in a mix of surprise and confusion.

"Yeah, it was." Carter agreed.

Daniel cleared his throat. "So, Sam, how's that, uh, plasma cannon project going?"

She walked into a nearby room and sat down at a table, Jack taking his seat next to her. "So far, so good. In fact, once Janet clears us and we're finished debriefing, I think I should be able to finish experimenting with it by the end of the day. All I need to do is configure a means of converting an energy source powerful enough to sustain a—"

"Here you are." The nurse came in carrying four bowls of wobbling Jell-O. Jack's eyes lit up as the blue gelatin was placed in front of him, not even giving it a chance to stop vibrating before snatching the spoon. He scooped up nearly a fourth of the Jell-O, allowing a smile to spread across his face.

Daniel joined the two at the table, though Teal'c remained standing as he took his food, giving a single low nod to the woman in thanks. The nurse was almost out the door when Carter called out for her. "Oh, did Frasier say if we're clear to go or not? I'm pretty eager to get back to work."

"I also have that Goa'uld journal to translate, Teal'c, if you wouldn't mind assisting me?" Daniel turned to the Jaffa who nodded deeply again, this time in agreement.

"Yeah, and I…" Jack opened his mouth and paused. "… I'm hungry. So, please tell me we're not restrained to this room," he added, slipping another spoonful into his mouth. He repeatedly pointed at the bowl with his spoon. "Jell-O can't make up for everything."

The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry. Dr. Frasier wanted me to tell you that SG-5 came in shortly after you did with two men injured from a rock slide. Nothing serious," she added at their concerned looks. "But those test samples will be delayed."

The colonel groaned. "How long are we stuck here for?"

"Thirty minutes to an hour." The nurse shrugged.

"Oh, for crying out loud." Jack, Daniel, and Carter said simultaneously, each putting his hand to his head. Teal'c and the nurse exchanged looks as the three froze, realizing what had just happened.

Jack jerked his head out of his hand, his gaze flickering between Carter and Daniel. They lifted their heads more slowly, looking around in puzzlement of their own actions.

"Uh, if you don't mind," Jack said, slowly scooting out his chair and looking uncertainly between the major and the archeologist. "I'm going to take my Jell-O over here…" He stood, hesitating with his hand out before snatching his bowl and spoon, as if he thought the other two would try and take it before him. He paused a moment, threw one more confused and cautious glance to Carter and Daniel, and then about-faced, brow furrowed as he walked to the chair in the corner.

Carter and Daniel stared at each other, while Teal'c's gaze wavered between them both.

"What just happened?" Daniel asked curiously.

Sam stuck another square of Jell-O into her mouth. "I have no idea, but it's somewhat…"

"Unnerving?" Daniel suggested.

"Yeah."

"I think that perhaps it was wise for us to return when we did." Teal'c noted, watching Jack eat his Jell-O in the far corner.

Carter nodded slowly. "I think so, too." There was a long pause before anyone spoke.

"So…" Daniel tried, his voice intentionally loud enough to carry to Jack's seat. "Any plans for this week?"

"Well, assuming my blood work comes back clean, Cassie and I are going to have a sleepover and watch Pride and Prejudice. Her choice." Sam grinned at the looks the men around her gave her.

They continued chatting until all was just about forgotten about the odd similarities in their actions. Forty-five minutes later, SG-1 was called back into the infirmary.

Dr. Frasier was peering at an enlarged picture on a computer screen as they stepped through the doors. Carter smiled. "So, will Cassie and I have our movie night?"

Janet's expression didn't change from its puzzled look. Sam's smile faded. "What's wrong?"

The doctor's brow furrowed ever so slightly as she shook her head. "Well, I'm not exactly sure, but, except for Teal'c, whose symbiote seems to have taken care of it, I've found some sort of virus in each of your blood samples."

"Anything we've encountered before?" Sam questioned, peering at the magnified image on the computer monitor.

"No, I've never seen anything like it, at least at first glance. I'll do some more testing, but until I find out exactly what it is and what it will do…"

"Oh no, don't tell me we have to be stuck in a single room all day again." Jack placed the heel of his hand against his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Sorry, Colonel, but it's necessary," Dr. Frasier said, crossing her arms.

"Is it conceivable that this virus is related to the creature that attacked Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Aw, c'mon! It didn't _attack_ me, it… it _looked_ at me." Jack wrinkled his forehead as he spoke, questioning his own words.

Janet waited for him to continue, but when he just shook his head and looked away, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, either way… it's isolation room number 3 for you guys." She held out her arm to direct the reluctant group toward the hall.

Jack paused on the way out. "Hey, I'm not really in the mood for isolation room number 3, can we go to number 4 instead?" Janet raised her eyebrow in response. "Okay… never mind. I'd _love_ to go to room 3."

Jack, Sam, and Daniel moved lazily, almost sluggishly, into the large room where General Hammond was looking down at them through the large window.

"Afternoon, General. Having a nice day?" Jack gave a slight salute that was almost a wave.

The general shook his head slightly, amusement barely covered in the movement. "It has been interesting. Doctor, would you care to explain what's going on?"

Janet nodded up at him. "Well, sir, there's an unidentified pathogen in everyone's system except for Teal'c, but I want to be sure that he's not spreading the disease."

"I assume you have people investigating this virus."

"Yes sir, but considering how unfamiliar they are, it could take some time."

"I understand. Keep me appraised, doctor."

"Yes, sir."

As General Hammond walked away, Janet turned to SG-1. "Let me know if there's anything I can get for you."

"Thanks, Janet." Sam smiled at her friend.

As the large door slid shut after the petite doctor, an almost unanimous sigh followed her departure. Teal'c blinked, his surprise at the similar reactions coming from his team mates beginning to dissipate.

Teal'c went over to the shelf to pluck a few candles off and set them in a semi-circle in a corner of the room, lighting each one as he sat cross-legged inside the circle. He closed his eyes and settled into a state of kel-no-rim.

The others watched him for a moment before they sighed and looked away, each standing and fiddling in boredom: Daniel lightly bumping the ends of his fists together, Sam pursing her lips and whistling to herself, and Jack putting his hands in his pockets while rising onto his toes and then rocking back on his heels to an unheard beat.

Then, all at once, they noticed a laptop sitting on an end table and a single, empty chair beside it. They all froze for one moment, eying each other competitively. By some unspoken agreement, ranks were forgotten and it was every man for himself as, with a sudden burst of energy, the three charged for the immediate source of entertainment.

"Ha ha!" Sam shouted triumphantly as she snagged the seat first. Jack almost ended up sitting on top of her, but he managed to skid to a stop just before, jerking himself upright only to be jolted again as Daniel crashed into his side.

The colonel quickly shoved Daniel into an upright position before standing tall himself as he tried to keep his dignity, turning slowly around and acting as if the event had never happened.

He looked back at Carter, who was pecking at the keyboard with a barely contained smirk. "Fine! I'll get my own boredom buster."

Daniel watch curiously as Jack, without hesitation, strode over to the small bed in the corner of the room and knelt down beside it, shoving his hand under the mattress and feeling around blindly.

"Um… Jack? Forgive me if this is overly nosy of me, but… _what_ are you doing?" He questioned as Jack kept digging around under the bed, his arm disappearing farther and farther underneath.

"Well, Daniel," the colonel moved to the opposite side of the bed and continued his search. "Our line of work often throws us into such situations without any warning, so one has to be prepared."

"Prepared… how, exactly?"

Jack ignored him as he began to grow frustrated. "Gosh darn it, where is it? I know it's here somewhere… ah ha!"

With a sudden jerk, he withdrew his arm from under the mattress and glanced at the object in his hand before tossing it to Daniel, who caught it between his hands.

He moved his hand a unmasked the so-called boredom buster. "…A bottle of Elmer's glue?" He looked up at Jack with a raised eyebrow as the colonel came up beside him.

Jack shrugged, plucking the bottle from Daniel's hands. "Well… it's no Yo-yo like in room 4, but…" He opened it and poured a white stream of glue onto the palm of his hand, spreading it around with the lid of the bottle and then holding it up for him to see. "But you can make fake skin with it." He grinned as Daniel stared at him.

With a groan, Daniel sat down heavily in one of the chairs. "How's the plasma cannon going, Sam?"

"Plasma cannon?" Sam looked up from the computer screen momentarily. "Oh, I wasn't working on it." She rotated the screen so that he could see Pac-man frozen, the cursor hovering over the 'Pause' button.

"Why not the cannon?" Daniel asked slowly.

"Well, I can't really access the data from this computer. It would be really careless to leave a computer connected to the network in an isolation room."

"But Pac-man?"

"I've got a childhood love for this and Pong. I haven't played in forever, so I figured, hey, why not see if I've still got it?"

"Well, ya' know, once you've got it, you never lose it." Jack attempted to pull his pinky and ring finger apart from each other.

Abruptly, the wide door on the side of the room slid open. Dr. Frasier strode in, a stack of files in her arms.

"You've been cleared to leave the isolation room. We don't know much about this virus yet, but apparently it's not contagious."

"But if that's true, how did we get it?" Sam looked up from the computer monitor.

"It could be from a certain amount of exposure to something, or maybe the virus is only contagious for a short amount of time. It's even possible that there are some characteristics about your bodies that keep the virus sedentary. But whatever the case, you are permitted to leave the room, just stay _on_ the base."

"Well, in that case—" Jack waved, three of his fingers stuck together.

But as he attempted to pass Dr. Frasier, she held out her palm so it landed in the middle of his chest, stopping him. "_After_ I ask you some questions." She said sternly as he backed up a few steps.

Jack blew a noisy sigh through his lips. "Yes, no, maybe, every four years, and what is… Denver, Colorado. There. Surely the answer you're looking for is in there somewhere. Now I bid you all a fond _farewell_."

"Nice try, Colonel. Now, we know that you have something, even if we don't know exactly _what_. I need you to tell me any symptoms you've been experiencing."

"Restlessness." Jack said, sarcasm creeping into his tone. "If only there was some way to cure that…"

She ignored him and looked at the other three. "What about you? Any headaches, pains, trouble with eyesight? _Anything_ out of the ordinary?"

"I feel quite normal, Dr. Frasier." Teal'c said, his eyes flickering open and sliding to look at her.

She nodded, expecting the answer. But what she didn't expect was Sam and Daniel's responses.

"Nope." Sam quickly said, barely looking away from the screen as she rapidly pressed the arrow keys on the keyboard.

"Nada one." Daniel told her as he twisted the glue bottle in his hands with a contemplative expression.

Janet stared at them. "Okay…" Her forehead furrowed slightly. "Are you sure? You two aren't acting quite like yourselves."

Sam shrugged. "I feel fine."

Daniel nodded. "Ditto."

Jack raised his hand. "Same here."

Teal'c looked directly at Dr. Frasier, his head slightly cocked. "They have been behaving strangely."

"This from an alien…" Daniel muttered softly.

Janet ignored Daniel's comment and the appreciative looks Sam and Jack gave him. "What kind of strange?"

Teal'c paused, the thoughts running through his mind more ludicrous than he cared to voice. "They have been behaving like… O'Neill."

Dr. Frasier's eyes widened. "Really?"

"I would not say it if I did not think it possible. But I have seen many strange things in my lifetime."

"Hazard of the occupation." Jack noted.

Carter scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, I have not been acting like Colonel O'Neill!" She shook her head as she turned back to Pac-man.

Daniel looked down at his hands as she said this, discovering that he had squeezed some of the glue onto the tips of his fingers. "Uh… Sam?"

She continued pressing buttons for five seconds more when she suddenly froze. The computer quietly beeped, announcing she had lost the game as she jerked her head up toward the group of people staring at her.

Her eyes widened in shock as she glanced back at the screen. "Oh my… you're right! I'm playing mind-numbing computer games instead of researching the sub-atomic properties of the—" She quietly gasped as she glanced back at Jack. "I shoved you out of the way to get to the computer first!" She shot up out of her chair and stepped away. "Sorry Colonel… sir! I—I don't know what came over me."

Janet glanced at Daniel. "What about you?"

"Uh…" He peeled a large piece of dried glue from his fingers. "Now that you mention it, I have noticed some odd similarities."

"Cake cravings?" Jack suggested.

"Among other things." Daniel conceded.

"Alright, I want to check on you three again." Dr. Frasier glanced at the papers in her hands. "Teal'c, you're free to go. The rest of you need to stick to the base, and, Sam and Daniel, I'm afraid I'm going to have to assign you a companion." Everyone knew that she meant a 24 hour guard.

Daniel, Jack, and Sam walked out behind Dr. Frasier.

Jack glanced back at Teal'c. "Well, this sucks."

"Indeed."

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the long delay, folks. Enjoy the read, and don't forget to press that special little button at the bottom of the page. :)_

Sam whistled softly through her lips, not even trying to stop the Beatles song that was echoing in her mind from coming out of her mouth.

Sergeant Harry Folman, her own personal shadow, was watching her from a corner of her laboratory, eating from a plate of cafeteria food. "Fan of the Beatles?"

Carter felt a wry smile slip up her face. "Uh, not normally, no."

Harry's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. Sam almost laughed from her position next to the plasma cannon at the expression on his face.

"So, Harry," she tried to make conversation in an awkward attempt to retain a sense of normality. "How is your family doing?"

"Oh, uh, they're fine. My wife is having some trouble keeping up with the baby and our three-year-old, so I'm thinking about asking General Hammond for a decrease in hours."

"Yeah, I can't say I blame you." Sam bent her head at an awkward angle to see underneath the cannon. "This is really boring. Why am I even doing this?"

"Don't ask me," Colonel O'Neill announced from where he stood, watching her from the doorway.

"Sir!" Harry was on his feet and at attention in a second.

"At ease, Sergeant. Why don't you go eat that in the commissary?"

"Uh, sir, I uh… I'm under orders to guard Major Carter."

"Well, no you're not. If anyone asks you, say I told you to take a break."

"Sir?"

"Take a break."

"Uh, yes, sir."

Carter watched Harry stride out of the room and then gave a small grin to the colonel. "Thank you, sir."

Jack responded with a slow nod and a grin, stepping across the threshold of the room. "Whatcha working on?"

"Uh…" Sam grimaced as she looked over her project. "Well, I _was_ going to finish and calibrate the cannon to a hopefully creditable working order… but now I don't really want to." She furrowed her brow.

She glanced over to see his gaze on her and his mouth slightly open as though he had been about to speak and was rethinking his words.

"Huh." He finally concluded, receiving a raised eyebrow from Sam in response. She shrugged slightly, turning back with a sigh to her project.

"Well, I find that after coming to such a conclusion," Jack started as he walked up to examine the cannon, hovering over it until his nose was an inch away. "The next step would be to ask yourself," he tapped the metal panel on the side of the device before he glanced up at Carter. "What _do_ ya' wanna do?"

Sam crossed her arms and shrugged, making a face as she looked at the ground. "I don't know…" She glanced up to see Jack still watching her.

He saw her expression. "What?"

She gave a smile, pushing an innocent tone into her voice. "What?"

He pointed his finger at her, straightening away from the cannon and adding a taunting, sing-song-y lilt to each syllable. "I know you're hiding something." He grinned, watching Sam's expression waver between innocent and hesitant. "Come on, spill it."

"It's nothing." She pursed her lips as she bent over the cannon again and muttered, "Just one of those impulses."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." She reached her hand toward the back of the cannon. "Ouch!" A flash of light lit her face momentarily and Carter drew in a sharp breath. She jerked back, unconsciously pacing in a tight circle as she grabbed the wrist of her injured hand, shaking her fingers wildly. She bit her lip as she gave an extra hard shake of her hand.

Jack grasped her shoulders, stilling her so he could examine her hand. "That's gotta hurt."

Sam glared down at her burned fingers. "Ya' think?" Her eyes flickered up from the wound and suddenly found his warm brown eyes unnervingly close to hers.

"Are you okay?"

Was that a trick of the light or was he leaning closer? "Uh…" Sam blinked somewhat nervously. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

"Good." The already small amount of space between them was shrinking infinitesimally.

Suddenly he blinked and shifted back. "Maybe you should get that looked at."

Sam's heart was pounded as she struggled to steady her voice. "Uh, it's probably fine. It just… ow."

"Maybe Dr. Frasier can give you a painkiller or something."

"No, I'm fine…"

"You sure?"

"Sir, do you remember what you said back on P5R-902 about what would happen if someone overused the question 'Are you alright'?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

Jack grinned smugly. "Sorry, Carter, that's a one way street. It's a courtmarshalable offense to hit your CO."

"And I could report you for abusing your authority." She countered.

Before Jack could respond with his own comeback, Harry walked back in. "Colonel, Major." He nodded at each of them.

"Sergeant." Jack acknowledged slowly, saying it almost like a question.

"General Hammond would like to see SG-1 in his office."

Sam and Jack shared a glance.

"Did he say why?" Carter actually looked a little nervous.

"No, Walter was coming out of the general's office and asked me to give you the message."

With a shrug, Jack turned and walked out the door, Sam following his lead and walking just a few steps behind. Harry trailed after them at a distance just enough to give them some privacy.

They soon reached the office, Jack rapping on the doorframe before entering.

"Hi, guys." Daniel smiled and waved from his position in front of the desk as Harry pulled the door shut, leaving all four members of the team alone with General Hammond.

The general cleared his throat and glanced around at his frontline team. "Does someone want to tell me what's going on?"

Sam's lower lip slid out just a little bit, not in a pout, but in a thoughtful look. "Sir?"

"I've just been informed by Dr. Frasier that the two of you are showing some very odd symptoms."

The corners of Daniel's eyes crinkled. "Well, that, uh, really depends on who you ask. Right, Jack?"

Jack gave Daniel a suspicious look, hands anchored in his pockets. "…Right."

General Hammond shook his head. "Teal'c, would you give some examples of their odd behavior, please? Dr. Frasier was fairly spare on the details as she's been busy with the injuries of SG-5."

"Their behavior is rather… difficult to describe. Perhaps observation would be a better way to determine the level of these abnormalities."

"I was _just_ gonna say that." Jack announced.

"Colonel."

"Sorry, sir."

General Hammond sighed. "Alright, SG-1. You are free to roam about the base. Dismissed."

The four left the office, and the sergeant standing outside was moving to close the door when Hammond called him in.

"Yes, sir?" He questioned, curious.

"Two words, sergeant: watch them. Note any strange behavior and have those observations on my desk by tomorrow morning."

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir."


	4. Chapter 4

_Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!_

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 17:10:

Dr. Daniel Jackson is found making a tower of books to represent Big Ben clock tower instead of his normal work.

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 18:02:

Dr. Jackson, Major Samantha Carter, and Colonel Jack O'Neill are found in the mess hall participating in a competitive game of tossing the M&M into Captain Jason Raymond's mouth as he sleeps.

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 18:53:

Major Carter returns to her laboratory and begins juggling unused floppy disks.

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 19:24:

Dr. Jackson, Colonel O'Neill, and Major Carter obtain water pistols and open fire in the 'gate room.

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 19:32:

Previously mentioned water pistol battle moves to the control room. Sever reprimand issued, above mentioned SG-1 members quarantined in VIP quarters.

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 21:50:

In her dormitory quarters, Major Carter obtained a flashlight and is making shadow puppets on the wall.

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 21:52:

Dr. Jackson is located in Colonel O'Neill's dormitory room as the two are in the middle of the battle in which the ammunition included pillows and marshmallows. Bunkers are made from an overturned bed and table as they open fire.

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 22:16:

Suggestion issued for quarantined members to go to sleep. Suggestion disregarded and permission to leave VIP quarters obtained (absence of unessential personnel permitted this).

Tuesday, July 13, 2001, 22:47:

Sergeant Siler encounters Major Carter and suggests she assist him with 'gate diagnostics. She denies request and removes shoes, sliding on recently waxed flooring.

Wednesday, July 14, 2001, 05:30:

Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, and Dr. Jackson are reported missing from their quarters.

Wednesday, July 14, 2001, 05:43:

Missing members of SG-1 located by Teal'c in the commissary playing Go Fish as they wait for a large cake in the oven to finish baking.


	5. Chapter 5

_Apologies for the lengthy delay. Mandatory education is sometimes difficult to work around. Well, I won't keep you any longer... on to the story!_

The four members of SG-1 walked down the hall toward General Hammond's office, an awkward silence now brewing between them.

They had spent a large portion of time together—nothing unusual for them, but with their usual harmonizing differences smothered, it was putting a wear on all parties.

Jack squinted in thought for a moment before deciding to say something. "Well… you two are quiet. At least, for…"

"Being you?" Daniel stated conclusively.

"Yeah."

"I'm kind of surprised we've gotten along for this long." Sam announced, a touch of Carter shining through.

"I concur." Teal'c agreed.

"Hey, are you insinuating that I'm hard to get along with?"

Daniel both shook and nodded his head, apparently attempting to decide whether to agree to disagree. "Well, you do seem to have a tendency to get into fights with yourself."

"He was an android! Not… _me_!"

"Perhaps the reason you have been reacting well in each other's company is that you are taking advantage of the situation." Teal'c suggested.

"Taking advantage?" The other three chimed together.

Teal'c eyed them. "Indeed."

Carter and Daniel both furrowed their brows as they recalled their actions… and who was usually with them as they were accomplishing them. They looked at Jack.

The colonel shifted slightly and then shrugged. "Well… I mean, what other windows of opportunity do you get?" He cleared his throat and strode ahead.

Without much effort, Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam walked up next to him again. "Who knew Jack was so easily influenced." Daniel stage whispered to Sam as they passed the colonel.

Carter glanced back, smile faltering slightly when she saw Jack lagging behind, eyes on the ground. "Sir?"

"Hmm?" He looked up and saw the worried twist on his team's faces. Jack eased the creases across his own forehead. "Oh, uh, yeah… what?"

"You okay, Jack?" Daniel asked, slowing his pace as they neared the General's office.

"Uh, yeah… I'm fine." Jack said. Daniel and Sam exchanged a quick worried glance with Teal'c. The colonel raised his hand to his hair, scratching the side of his head as he subtly shook it, dragging in a sighing breath as they reached Hammond's office.

"Good morning, General!" Sam announced their presence cheerfully.

Hammond looked up from his desk, a somewhat stunned expression on his face.

"What?" Daniel and Sam voiced together.

Teal'c looked at Jack.

"What? I knew they were going to say it for me." Jack clarified.

"I… I don't know what to say." Hammond's gaze flickered between the four of them in astonishment.

"About what?" Sam asked blandly.

"_This!_"

"Oh, that?" Daniel motioned to the report on the large desk.

"_Yes_, this!" Hammond tapped the paper with the back of his hand.

"Wait, which one? This one or that one?" Jack glanced at the piles of paper.

"This one." Sam read the paper upside down. "It looks like he left out the part where we—"

Jack and Daniel both shot glares at her.

"Oh, right, sorry."

Hammond shook his head slightly, folding his hands on his desk and watching them for a minute before looking back up. "I've asked Dr. Frasier if there is anything we can do about your… condition."

"Geez, General, you make it sound like a disease." Jack protested.

"In a way it is, Colonel."

Jack shifted his jaw in thought as he glanced over at Teal'c. "Should I be insulted?"

"Dr. Frasier has yet to determine a cure for this… virus," Hammond continued. "But she assures me that it is the cause of this behavioral change and with that knowledge should be able to quickly come up with a way to solve the problem."

Teal'c raised a hopeful eyebrow at Hammond. He glanced slowly at his fidgeting teammates before turning his head straight again, holding his quiet stance.

"Dr. Frasier is in the Mess Hall having lunch at the moment, but she requested a checkup for all of you again after. I'm sure it would be very helpful to her if you cooperated and were there waiting. She should be there soon." Hammond concluded.

"Yes, sir." Daniel and Sam said, Teal'c bowing his head in agreement. Only Jack remained silent, standing still with unfocused eyes aimed at the general's desk.

"Jack?" Daniel asked, waving his hand in front of his friend's face. "Earth to Jack…"

The colonel blinked before noticing Daniel's hand in front of his face. "Yeah? What?"

"O'Neill?" Concern laced through Teal'c's steady voice.

"Yeah, fine. Why?" He saluted Hammond and then brushed past the others and out the door.

Teal'c, Sam, and Daniel exchanged looks before turning to follow him.

"O'Neill." Teal'c stopped him before he could get too far ahead.

Jack stopped and turned on his heel, spreading his arms out wide in question. "What?" He asked sharply, the annoyance clear in his tone.

Teal'c stared at Jack, unaffected. "I do not believe you are being truthful about your condition."

"What condition?" He thrust his hand toward Carter and Daniel. "It's those two who are acting all… all…" He shook his head as he searched for the right words, throwing his hands up in the air. "… Unlike themselves!"

Daniel squinted at him. "Jack, you used to be three inches taller." The colonel licked his lips and straightened himself with a slight grimace as Daniel continued. "I may not be myself today, but I still have eyes, you know. You're not telling us something."

"Because it's nothing worth mentioning! It's a stomach ache, that's all! Too much cake. I can't scarf down as much as I used to."

Carter rolled her eyes. "For crying out loud, you've eaten enough of it before, why's it making you sick now?"

Jack looked like he was about to argue when he locked his teeth together and a small groan slipped out as he placed his hands on his knees. He looked up. "Okay… maybe that wasn't just cake…"

"I think it would be best if we now go to the infirmary."

"Indeed." Jack muttered as he straightened.


	6. Chapter 6

_*Flips through notebook filled with excuses* Hmm... used that one. That one might be good... oh, wait, I don't have a pet canary... Um... I'm afraid there's no good excuse for not having this chapter done earlier. Shame on us._

_As a quick note about the Harry Potter reference, we know that part 1 of number 7 is out, but please take into account that this is set several years ago._

_Again, apologies for the _very_ late update, and don't forget about the review button at the bottom. :)  
_

"Oh, just go, won't you?" Jack protested to Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel from his position in the infirmary's bed. "I know how boring it is just sitting around and waiting. And with most of you being me, it must be magnified."

"I think concern trumps boredom at the moment." Daniel said, then paused. "Though it's a close second."

Jack gave him an "I told you so" expression.

"We're not just going to leave you alone, now while we know something weird is going on." Sam said.

"Carter, we go to alien planets weekly as a _job_. Something weird is _always_ going on."

Sam glanced over at Daniel, who gave a slight shrug. "He does have a point."

"Besides, no matter how much I try, I can never be alone in this place." Jack added as he glared at Janet, who came into the room again.

"Complaining will get you nowhere, Colonel. Until we know what's going on with you, you're not going to be alone for one minute." Janet frowned at some x-rays which were clipped in front of a fluorescent light.

"See? My own personal stalker."

Daniel nodded his approval. "Kind of makes me feel a little better."

Jack grimaced and shifted on the bed, picking at an unraveled thread on the sheet. He smiled hopefully at them and they smiled back, unaware of the message he was trying to send.

They stood silently for a long moment before Jack finally rolled his eyes. "Just get out of here!"

"Oh! Right, sorry!" Sam released a sympathetic wave before turning and leading the others from the room.

"We need to do something. I can't just sit around while Jack's in there, who-knows-what happening to him." Daniel said.

"What are you suggesting, Daniel Jackson?"

"The journal. There has to be something in there that can help us figure out what's going on." Daniel pulled the small book from a pocket in his jacket and started flipping through the pages.

Sam waited for Daniel to say something, but he just stared at the symbols silently. She tapped her foot and sighed as the rustling of paper continued. She looked around for a chair and slipped into it, tugging on Daniel's sleeve to move him out of the way of the foot traffic as he focused on the writing.

"Oh!" Daniel suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a spot on the page.

"Did you find something?" Carter immediately stood up and scanned the portion of the page his finger rested on.

Daniel let out a small chuckle. "Look, this one looks like a rabbit, but when you turn it, it turns into a duck…"

"Daniel!"

He blinked at her and shook his head. "Uh, right, sorry." He furrowed his brow as he fixed his eyes on the journal entry. "Okay, uh, focusing…"

"Perhaps I should translate the journal since neither of you any longer possess the ability to concentrate on such tasks." Teal'c offered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Daniel's eyes widened as he held up a finger toward Teal'c, stopping his approach. "Wait just one minute…" His eyes flew across the page, a sudden interest appearing. He stopped and looked up at Sam and Teal'c. "I think I—"

"Sam, Daniel, Teal'c." Janet's voice burst down the hall and the three turned to see her in the doorway. "You better come with me."

They turned to follow her down the hallway to the infirmary, Janet's heels clacking briskly on the concrete floor.

"His whole body is shutting down. I'm not exactly sure what's causing this yet, but I'm sure it has something to do with the virus you have all been infected with. His condition has been gradually worsening for some time, so if any of you are experiencing similar symptoms, tell me now."

"He's been getting worse gradually? But he seemed fine just a few hours ago." Sam protested.

"Sam, his condition started to deteriorate long before that." Dr. Frasier glanced sympathetically over her shoulder.

Sam glanced at Daniel in shock, noting that he looked equally alarmed. Even Teal'c appeared worried.

"I want to take a blood sample from each of you so we can determine how the virus is reacting to you individually. It might help us find out what is happening to the colonel."

"What _is_ happening to him?" Sam asked. "I mean, I know we don't really know, but—"

"He's experiencing severe abdominal pain, his blood pressure is high, and he's running a temperature; all signs of multiple organ failure cause by his brain shutting down."

"Hang on, his _brain_ is shutting down?" Daniel said in shock. "Isn't that… you know… fatal?"

Janet quickly shook her head. "There's still plenty of activity, but it's continuing to decrease, more steadily as time goes on. It will still be a while before…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "There's still time to find a way to reverse the effects."

"So, why are we… you know…" Sam murmured, tugging up her sleeve as she stepped into the infirmary after Janet, trying to save some time as the doctor prepared the syringe.

"Acting like him? We've been able to do some research on the virus, and from what we've been able to determine, it seems that somehow this virus copied Jack's brain."

"If that is so, then why is it that Major Carter and Daniel Jackson's minds were not also replicated?"

"We're not really sure about that. My guess that it has something to do that creatures you all stumbled upon, given the colonel's initial reaction to it."

Daniel winced as a nurse turned a needle on him. "So, this creature somehow transfers the virus to Jack, it copies his brain, and then when we touch him, we get the new and improved Jack virus."

"That's what I think, yes."

"I wouldn't say new and improved," Sam added. "We seem to have only gotten some of his qualities… mostly the inability to pay attention for very long."

"And his taste buds." Daniel mentioned.

"And his youthful antics." Janet gave a slight smile as she began the tests on the blood samples. A quiet moment followed.

"Can we see him?" Sam asked.

Janet glanced at her friend, her expression making the doctor pause. "Sam?"

Carter bit her lip and quickly looked down. "I'm fine."

"Sam." Dr. Frasier's tone quickly brought a guilty grimace to Carter's face.

"Okay, a slight stomach ache, but—"

"How slight?"

Sam shook her head. "Really, I'm fine, I barely notice it."

"You're not as good a liar as the colonel is. Come on." As Janet moved to tend to Sam, she glanced at Daniel. "You should probably come, too. I know you aren't showing any symptoms yet and that your exposure was a little while after Sam's, but I still think—"

"I need to figure out what that thing was, and I can't do that laid up in the infirmary. I'll let you know if I start experiencing some of the symptoms."

Janet looked at him for a minute, then finally nodded. "Okay."

Daniel nodded his head slightly. "Okay." He turned and walked out of the infirmary with Teal'c following behind.

Teal'c stared at Daniel. "I do not believe you intend to do what you told Dr. Frasier you would."

Daniel's eyebrows shot up innocently. "Sure I do. I said I'd let her know if I start experiencing some symptoms. Not as soon as." A touch of Jack surfaced in his cheeky expression. "You've got to get into that Earthling mindset, Teal'c."

The Jaffa raised his eyebrow.

Daniel clucked his tongue. "Oh, I knew you were going to say that. Well, let's go, Teal'c."

"And where would our desired destination be, Daniel Jackson?"

"The library, duh." He marched away, leaving Teal'c and his lifted eyebrow behind.

He shook his head and muttered, "_Tauri_," before he followed with dignity.

He entered the room after Daniel, watching silently for a few moments as the archeologist scanned through his stack of books before selecting a few Latin based ones.

"Are you in need of any assistance, Daniel Jackson?"

"D'oh!" Daniel said in frustration as he shook his hand for emphasis. "Oh, great, I lost my spot! Do you know how long it takes to refocus with this Jack-like tendencies? How that man gets anything done is beyond me…"

Teal'c situated himself on the floor quietly, closing his eyes and sitting silently in a state of kel'no'reem. The minutes dragged on, the only sound the monotonous turning of pages.

Daniel scanned the book again and suddenly froze. He read a passage again before lunging for another book and madly flipping to the desired page before squinting at the lines. He jerked his gaze up, staring at nothing in particular. "…I think I got it…"

Teal'c opened his eyes at the interrupted silence.

Daniel glanced at the Jaffa and then back at the book. "I've got to talk to Sam." Without even blinking, he ripped the page out of the book.

"Should you not have simply have taken the entire book intact?" Teal'c questioned.

Daniel furrowed his brow. "What, are you kidding? I'm not lugging that whole book around for just a few paragraphs. That thing weighs like 50 pounds. Come on!"

Moments later, the two were in the infirmary standing next two Sam's cot, Dr. Frasier across from them.

"I've got it." Daniel declared.

"Got what?" Carter questioned.

"I was looking through this book and found something on Roman mythology. Now, the Latins predated the Romans, but one culture is really based on the other—anyways," he interrupted himself before anyone else could. "It's a Basilisk."

"What is?" Janet's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"The creature that Colonel O'Neill saw." A look of realization came over Carter's face.

"Right. Pliny the Elder, described the snake as not much longer than twelve fingers in length, which, roughly, is the size of a Goa'uld."

"Wait, you're saying that Basilisks and Goa'ulds are the same thing?" Dr. Frasier looked more perplexed than before.

Daniel waved a finger in the air. "No." At the general looks of exasperation and confusion, he continued. "It's a relative. We'll have to go back to P3X-467 to make sure, but—" he paused, seemingly for effect. "I think Nirrti… created it."

"Nirrti?" Sam said, stunned. "But she's the Goa'uld who tweaks with DNA; why would she create the legend of the Basilisk?"

Daniel shut his eyes and shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no. I mean, she _actually_ created the Basilisk. Granted, it's not the Harry Potter version that we all know and love—"

"Oh, did you see the new one that's out?" Sam sat up straighter.

"No, which one was it? Third or fourth? I personally—"

"Daniel! Focus!" Janet ordered.

He blinked. "Uh, right, yeah, anyways, the Basilisk is known for its deadly glare, which has been rumored to either turn you to stone, or kill you, depending on which version you hear... in this case, it started to kill him—albeit slowly—by shutting down his brain."

"I believe it would be better to determine what cures are available against this Basilisk than to speculate on the origin of this illness." Teal'c said.

Janet nodded. "Is there anything in the myth that might give us a clue as to what we can do to stop this?"

Daniel pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Uh, yeah, but it doesn't really make any sense."

"Go for it anyways." Sam requested around a grimace.

He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Basil."

"What?" Pretty much everyone in the room either said it or had a look on their faces that expressed it.

"Basil was allegedly the cure for a Basilisk's poison, which can really apply to either the sight or the venom."

"Well…" Janet gave a slightly bewildered raise of her eyebrows. "I guess I better make a call cafeteria."

Ten minutes later, Dr. Frasier had a small handful of whole basil leaves, which she peered at with a slightly doubtful expression.

"Alright, Sam, enjoy."

Carter swung her legs over the side of the bed as she leaned over to grab the basil. She placed the leaf on her tongue, eyebrows rising with the intensity of the flavor.

She quickly chewed and swallowed with a slight grimace.

"Basil or stomach?" Janet asked, concern in her expression.

"A little of both." Sam admitted, motioning for Teal'c to hand her a bottle of water from the table nearby.

"So…" Daniel said after watching Sam ungracefully take a large swig, chugging nearly half the bottle. "It didn't seem to get rid of your essence of Jack yet. Feeling any better?"

Carter pursed her lips, thinking for a moment before she shook her head. "A little bit, but it does seem to come in waves for me, so it could just be that."

Dr. Frasier nodded. "We'll keep an eye on you for any positive results. If we see a response, we'll—"

One of Janet's assistants burst in through the doors. "Dr. Frasier!"

Everyone's head turned toward the nurse as she continued in a rush. "It's Colonel O'Neill. His brain is shutting down faster than we thought. He's slipped into a coma."

Daniel turned about, barely catching a glimpse of Teal'c gently restraining Sam before running after Dr. Frasier.

Monitors beeped loudly in the still silence that contradicted the bustling movement of nurses and doctors in the room.

"Colonel?" Janet examined the machines hooked up to his body. His face was pale as he lay still and unresponsive.

"Give him the basil." Daniel quickly said from behind Janet, startling her slightly. She turned to see him watching his friend with worry.

"Daniel, it didn't work—"

"Yes, it did. I feel fine and you heard Sam, she feels better too."

"We don't know for how long though… wait, _you_ feel fine?"

"…Now."

"Daniel, I specifically told you to let me know when you started to feel the same effects as the Colonel and Sam!"

"Not specific enough." She frowned, but Daniel continued before she could scold him. "It worked, Janet, so now use it!"

She sighed. "No side effects? No persisting symptoms?"

"None that I've noticed."

"That's not good enough. I don't know how much time we have to find another way to reverse this. I'd be taking a risk on someone's life if this basil theory turns out to be ineffective."

"Then run tests on me! I'm fine!"

"No Jack-like inclinations?" She added with a touch of humor.

A small smile made it onto his face despite the circumstances. "Nope."

Janet paused in thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay… Daniel, sit down over there." She motioned to one of the empty cots. "I want an EEG over here!"


	7. Chapter 7

_Heh... how many times can a delay be apologized for? Once again, apologies, and apology, again, no assurance that things will be updating any faster. We have some projects going on beyond this story. *mysterious chuckle*_

_Anywho, enjoy! And don't forget to review. We don't care what you say... well, most of the time we don't care what you say... Okay, well, the point is, we once got a review with only one letter. We can take anything you'll throw at us!_

Sam let out a frustrated groan. "I'm telling you, I'm absolutely fine!"

"We were told to wait for Dr. Frasier's go ahead." A frazzled looking nurse glared at her.

"Look, my test results came out normal and so did Daniel's. Janet is busy working on the colonel; I need to be in there to help her!"

"Dr. Frasier—"

"I'm physically fine! She'd let me up if she were here."

The nurse raised her eyebrow skeptically.

Sam paused. "Okay, maybe she'd be hesitant, but, trust me, the basil worked, odd as it may seem. I know I don't have a degree in biology, but I think I could help study why it works."

"I really don't—"

"Sam, I need you!" Janet's voice called through the door.

The nurse narrowed her eyes at a quietly smug Carter, who grabbed her green jacket and walked toward Frasier's voice.

"What can I do?" Sam asked the instant she spotted her.

Dr. Frasier didn't look up from the microscope she was using. "At this point, I don't really care how this little herb works, I just need it to do its magic. The colonel is too far in a comatose state in order to just feed it to him, so we're going to have to come up with a substitute to give him through the IV. I have a team of scientists examining the molecular structure for anything unique that might explain what is effective about this herb, and you're one of them."

Sam nodded as she eagerly joined the table of researchers. "Alright. Fill me in."

"Dr. Frasier?" General Hammond asked from the open door.

"Yes, General?" Janet finally looked up, rubbing the back of her neck as she did so.

"Both Dr. Jackson and Teal'c have requested we return to P3X-467 to look for and examine the creature that did this." He sighed. "I guess what I'm asking is whether or not you feel this would be a wise course of action."

The petite doctor nodded slowly. "If we know what did this, it might help us to understand how to help the colonel, but I'm still concerned about the effects this creature seems capable of producing. So far, the basil has worked to stimulate the brain to normal activity, but I'm unsure as to whether or not it's a temporary or permanent solution."

"So you think it wouldn't be wise to return?"

"That could be, General, but we could also take precautions. Since we know that a virus is responsible, it could be safe to send a team out in full haz-mat gear. That should protect them from the virus, at least. As for the basilisk… I have no idea what else it's capable of, and until we do, there is certainly a level of risk involved." She paused. "If you want my opinion on whether or not to authorize this mission… I'd say that the precautions we can take would make it a fairly safe mission, and the benefits far outweigh the risks."

General Hammond nodded. "Then Dr. Jackson and Teal'c will accompany SG-4 to P3X-467."

On his way to the 'gate room, he stopped by the men's locker room, nodding at the people crowded inside. "You have a go. Colonel Foster, you and your team are to wear full haz-mat gear."

"Yes sir." The colonel saluted as Hammond strode back out to the hallway and into the control room.

The general stared out the observation window as he stood behind Walter. "Dial P3X-467."

"Yes, sir." The airman located the correct address as the 'gate started spinning. "Chevron one encoded."

Daniel stood beside Teal'c and watched the center ring of the Stargate turn to find the correct symbol. Soon there was a roar as energy bubbled out over the ramp before settling into an active, shimmering event horizon.

"Here we go again." Daniel muttered to himself as he walked up the ramp behind SG-4.

Teal'c glanced over at him. "De ja vu?" He asked, using the earthling phrase that had been taught to him.

"No, more like that impending doom kind of thing." Daniel glanced back at Teal'c, giving him a quick half grin before following the team through the Stargate. Teal'c followed with his eyebrow raised.

Once on the other side, Daniel and Teal'c led the way to the ruins.

"This is it," Daniel motioned to the room where Jack had been attacked.

"Alright, everyone, spread out and be careful." Colonel Foster ordered.

"What exactly are we trying to do?" Asked a female sergeant who looked somewhat nervous as she peered through the hood of her haz-mat suit.

The colonel squinted through the dim lighting. "Capture it. If you can't manage that, don't leave it alive, we can still take it back for examination if it's dead."

"Yes sir."

Teal'c kicked through some small piles of rubble, zat gun ready for action. A shift between some of the rocks at his feet caught his attention. He shoved the top stone away with his foot and fired deftly at the small creature squirming on the ground.

Its movements immediately ceased. Teal'c eased down next to it and looked at the creature closely.

"It is very similar to a Goa'uld, but there are some noticeable differences."

Daniel moved closer to the basilisk. "Well, I didn't get to translate all of the journal we found, you know, since I was all…" He wiggled his hands around his head. "But, I know as much as it was created by Nirrti, so I'm sure it has some Goa'uld qualities. It may even be a mix between Goa'uld and… something else."

"Maybe a dragon." The colonel said dryly, receiving silent glances from everyone else. "What? One mythical creature has already been proved real, so why not dragons, too?"

The sergeant shook her head as she pulled out a box from her pack. "Let's just get this thing back the SGC."


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello, faithful followers... and not so faithful followers who just saw this epic 8-chapters-so-far story. We're back again for another post. Hopefully the next installment won't take so long to get up... in the mean time, read this. Oh, and just so you know, we're not certified doctors and possess little to no medical knowledge. Don't do what our Frasier does. You might kill someone. True statement._

"Okay, this one contains the beta-caryophyllene chemical." Dr. Frasier said as she held the injection up toward the light to clearly see the small amount inside. "Let's hope it works."

She placed the needle into Jack's IV, inserting the next component of the basil leaf into his bloodstream. As soon as she removed the syringe, she glanced anxiously at the monitors that kept track of the activity of his brain and heartbeat.

"Okay, people, I don't expect an immediate change, so if you see anything different, let me know ASAP."

Janet walked from the room, the pace of her feet matching the level of tension she was feeling. She hurried up to General Hammond's office and knocked on the already open door.

"Come."

She walked into the room to see Hammond at his desk, a thick pile of papers before him. "I just wanted to let you know that we think we've identified the chemical that makes basil effect and have synthesized a solution to put in Colonel O'Neill's IV."

"Do you have any idea what is effective about the chemical?"

"Only an incredibly vague one, sir. Beta-caryophyllene has been noted to help with arthritis, but I really have no idea what connection it could have with this… virus, for lack of a better word."

"I see." General Hammond folded his hands and placed them over the papers on the desk. "Has there been any radio contact with SG-4, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c?"

"None that I'm aware of, sir."

"Dr. Frasier," a breathless nurse ran up to the door. "Colonel O'Neill is reacting to the basil. He's stirring."

Janet threw a quick glance at Hammond before hurriedly returning to the infirmary. Sam was standing anxiously beside Jack's bed as he began to shift his head and work his eyes open.

Carter stepped back, letting Janet take her spot to better check the monitors reporting his vital signs. "How're you feeling, Colonel?"

Jack looked at her blearily for a second before reclosing his eyes. "I hate that question." He sighed.

Janet allowed a tired smile to creep up her face. If he could manage his usual dry wit, doubtless he was feeling somewhat better. "I hate to have to ask it," she raised an eyebrow and then continued in a motherly commanding tone as she wrote something down on a clipboard. "But I also don't appreciate having my questions ignored."

With his eyes still closed, Jack drew in a breath to speak, but Janet interrupted him, not even looking up from her writing. "And don't just tell me you're fine. Details, please."

Jack released a breath in a defeated sigh. "You want all the gory details? My head aches from the inside-out, my back is sore, it feels like there's an inch layer of dust in the back of my throat, and I really have to pee." He glanced at her. "Good enough for you?" He coughed once.

"That should do it." Janet grinned as she looked up from the board. "It's good to have you back."

"I can't say the same," Jack groaned. "It felt better when I was gone."

Sam laughed from where she stood next to the bed. "I felt the same way, but it goes away after a while."

"After a while…" The colonel looked around the room. "How long was I 'gone'?"

Janet looked down at her notes before answering. "Nearly six hours since you lost consciousness; more if you count your total time in the infirmary."

Jack grimaced. "Well, that explains a few things. Namely—"

"I'm going to go to the control room and see if Daniel and Teal'c have checked in yet." Carter smothered a smile and made a hasty exit.

"Interrupting your CO should be a courtmarshalable offense!" Jack shouted after her good-naturedly.

"Tell Janet!" Sam's voice reached the room from her position down the hall.

"Doc—"

"Colonel, I'll have someone help you to the bathroom."

"Thank you, I—wait, help?"

"Colonel O'Neill," General Hammond walked into the room. "It's good to see you awake again. How's he doing?" He added to Dr. Frasier.

"I am right here, you know." Jack gestured to himself, raising his eyebrows. "I think I'm qualified enough to tell you how I'm doing."

Hammond glanced at Janet and she gave him a look. "He's back to normal." She said wryly.

The general nodded. "Thankfully, so is the rest of SG-1. One Jack O'Neill is plenty."

Jack furrowed his brow and looked at his hands. "Am I invisible or something?"

Hammond chuckled. "We'll debrief in one hour if you're up to it." He glanced up at Janet and she nodded her okay.

"I look forward to it." Jack watched the general walk away down the hall. "Okay," he snapped off the sheets and slid forward. "Now I really, _really_ have to—"

Janet stifled her laugh. "I'll be back, Colonel." She then followed the course that both Carter and Hammond had taken and walked down the hallway to the control room.

When she glanced through the large glass panes, she caught sight of the active wormhole. SG-4 stepped out onto the platform, followed closely by both Daniel and Teal'c.

"Welcome back." General Hammond gave a nod of approval as he spoke into the microphone mounted on the desk. Carter and Dr. Frasier started down the stairs to the 'gate room.

"How'd it go?" Sam asked Daniel almost breathlessly.

"Oh, it went… good. I'd say it went well, wouldn't you?" Daniel glanced at Teal'c for his agreement. The Jaffa inclined his head. "See? Teal'c thinks it went really well."

Colonel Foster handed Frasier a haz-mat container. She took it with a nod and hurried back to her lab.

"Where's Jack?" Daniel had seemed fairly pleased until he noticed Jack's absence.

"Still in the infirmary. But the basil worked; he's awake and feeling a lot better." An amused smile twitched at Sam's lips as she recalled her exit.

"That is indeed a solace." Teal'c said without expression.

"What?" Foster questioned.

Daniel cleared his throat. "He means, 'what a relief.'"


	9. Chapter 9

_And here we come to the end of a long story. I want to thank, my mom, my dad, his cousin Eugene, and my Goldfish, Fred._

_ Thanks for sticking with us through this adventure, and if you haven't left a review as of yet, now is the perfect time to! There's no reason not to simply press that lovely button at the bottom of the screen. We value your feedback!_

"I need you all to start at the beginning, please." Hammond leaned back in his seat, glancing around the table at SG-1, 4, and Dr. Frasier, but only expecting a long-winded explanation from either Carter or Daniel.

Carter sat up in her seat, motioning as she described exactly what had happened. "We went to P5R-902, where Colonel O'Neill was attacked by a Basilisk in the temple we were exploring. Daniel found writing on the wall, indicating that the creature was able to have a host, similar to the Goa'uld. This led us to believe that it was one of Nerte's early attempts to create a Hauk'tar."

"I, uh, also found a journal, which confirmed that suspicion. She describes her early attempts in detail. Apparently the Basilisk could control a human, but not nearly so well as a Goa'uld, which explains the intermittently changing writing in that building." Daniel further clarified.

The General furrowed his brow. "So it was the basilisk, made by the Goa'uld, Nerte, that somehow transferred Colonel O'Neill's personality to Major Carter and Dr. Jackson by turning it into a virus which nearly killed the three of you?"

Carter began speculating. "Considering the fact that the Goa'uld are able to see what is in a person's mind, with Jolinar, for instance, knowing about me. It would make sense that the Basilisk could take the information stored inside a person's brain... But with Nerte's experimentation, it's just..."

"Screwed up?" Jack supplied.

"To put it briefly, yes." Carter agreed. "With the basilisk that SG-4, Teal'c, and Daniel obtained from P5R-902, we're hoping to be able to study it and see how it was able to copy and create such a virus."

"With the basilisk that SG-4, Teal'c, and Daniel obtained from P5R-902," Carter continued, "We're hoping to be able to study it and see how it to copy and create such a virus."

"Are you certain that's wise, Major?" Hammond questioned.

"Don't worry, sir, the creature is no longer capable of repeating its actions."

"I'm sure the twenty bullet holes through its body slowed it down." Jack said sarcastically.

Carter gave a slight smile. "That, and we know the antidote if anything unexpected were to happen."

"Okay, not to belittle my cure, because obviously I'm glad to be alive, but isn't basil a little... anticlimactic?" Jack shifted in his seat, making it squeak a little.

Dr. Frasier jumped in. "Basil seems like a minor ingredient, but beta-caryophyllene can actually do a bit for the body: helping ease the pain of arthritis, for example. Hopefully, we'll be able to understand more after studying the Basilisk further."

"Apparently the benefits far outweigh the minimal risks of exposing ourselves to this creature." Hammond stated. "SG-4, what about the residents of P5R-902? Are they willing to trade?"

"Uh, yes sir, but I'm not really sure if they have much to offer. They're fairly primitive." The Colonel Foster leaned back in his seat.

"But the level of technology doesn't necessarily define what a culture has to offer." Daniel started.

"Look what you did! You pushed a button!" Jack nudged the officer next to him.

Daniel rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Who knows what a culture can offer besides science? Perhaps they have some insight into the people who freed them from the Goa'uld."

"They may also have some knowledge to offer us concerning the basilisk." Dr. Frasier added.

"So what you're saying is that relations with this planet should be continued." Hammond looked at Daniel for conformation.

"I definitely think we should consider it." Daniel agreed.

"Alright, I'll have an SG team go on a return mission to P5R-902. Colonel O'Neill?"

"Uh... you know, General, ordinarily, I would _love_ to, but I just came out of a coma and my team members have only just started recovering from this odd illness that gives them a… unique personality." Jack's lips quirked in a cynical smile.

"I understand. Colonel," Hammond nodded to SG-4's CO. "You will return tomorrow at 0900. Dismissed."

SG-4, Major Carter, and Colonel O'Neill all rose with the General, waiting for him to exit first. Once SG-4 and Dr. Frasier followed Hammond from the room, Jack slunk back into his chair with an exaggerated moan, heavily placing his feet up on the table, one boot at a time. He leaned back, stretching his arms over his head.

Carter glanced at his feet on the table, raising her eyebrows. "Long day?"

"Yes, because I can see how exhausting it must be sleeping all day." Daniel said sarcastically as he gathered up the loose papers from his report.

Jack lifted a reproving finger. "Now, now, Daniel, you're too tall to be Grumpy."

Daniel gave an annoyed surface chuckle. "Too tall—you know it's that childish mind of yours that got me into this mood in the first place."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

Daniel stabbed an accusatory finger at him, his words become more rapid. "You! Yes, _you_! You and your, your, your stinking personality that just had to get into my head! _All_ of those things - the cake, the marshmallows, the water guns - all those _ridiculous_ things that made it onto my personal file!"

Jack shrugged and raised his hands palms up in an innocent way. "You're the one who got hold of the water pistol! Actually, the fault belongs to whoever gave that to you in the first place. Who was that?" He glanced over at Carter, who shrugged.

Daniel sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Jack, that was _you_."

The colonel blinked and thought for a moment before smiling. "Oh yeah." He gave a small chuckle.

Teal'c cocked his head slightly. "How did you procure such an infantile weapon?"

"Okay, first of all, I really have to question your adjective usage. Infantile?" Jack shook his head. "And secondly, in answer to your question, I had it on hand."

Sam and Daniel exchanged glances.

"What! I keep it in isolation room number two! Keeps some variety around the SGC."

"We should have General Hammond get someone to sweep those rooms," Daniel suggested.

"Hey, I paid good money for those boredom busters!"

"Because Yo-yos cost, what, 99 cents?"

"This one was $1.50, actually. It glows in the dark."

Walter walked into the room, glancing up from the schedule he was carrying. "Oh, I didn't know you were still here..." He saw Jack's feet up on the table and shifted slightly, giving a small sigh. "Y-you know someone has to clean up those scuff marks every time you do that...sir."

"Oh." Jack looked at his shoes and then back at Walter. "Who?"

Walter wrinkled his forehead. "Uh... I do?"

"Oh... I thought you were just a techy geek." Jack tapped his boot on the table, causing some dried mud to fall. Walter shook his head and left.

Carter cleared her throat. "Well, we should probably all go home and get some rest; it's been a long few days for all of us."

"Right, right." The colonel rubbed his forehead for a moment before letting out a final sigh and jerking his boots off the table and back onto the floor. He slapped his hands on his legs to brace himself as he prepared to stand. "Well, happy sleepings everybody, and tomorrow we shall-"

"Please don't start another Beatle's song." Daniel quickly said.

Jack looked at Daniel, slightly startled. "I wasn't going to sing a Beatle's song."

"You had that tone."

"What tone?"

"The tone you always get when you start that build up for a quote or a song."

Jack put on an insulted expression. "I do not!" He frowned and glanced at Teal'c. "Do I?"

"I believe that Daniel Jackson is correct in this matter."

"You remember when we talked about that simple 'yes' or 'no' response?"

Teal'c gave the slightest hint of a smile.

"And anyway," Jack continued. "I was not going to sing the Beatles. I was simply saying the truth. Tomorrow: we're going..._Across the Universe_!"


End file.
